The Anglo-Saxon name Woolveridge comes from Wulfric, a Germanic personal name that became common in England after the Norman Conquest. After King William the Conqueror defeated the Saxon nobility at the Battle of Hastings, he encouraged the immigration of skilled tradesmen and administrators from the continent into England. Many of these came from the area where Germany would later become a nation. This resulted in the importation of a large number of new personal names and surnames. The personal name Wulfric means "wolf-powerful." This name appears in the Domesday Book as Wlfric and Vlfric. This name is a vernacular name, arising from the vernacular tradition of naming. According to this custom, names were originally composed of vocabulary elements from the local language. Vernacular names that were derived from ancient Germanic personal names have cognates in most European languages. For example, the court of Charlemagne (742-814) was Christian and Latin-speaking, but the Frankish dialect of Old German was commonly used for personal names. Vernacular names were widespread throughout Normandy. Accordingly, many typical English and French names are in fact, originally of Germanic origin and often have cognates in other European countries.

Woolveridge Early Origins

The surname Woolveridge was first found in Staffordshire, where the Woolveridge family held a seat from ancient times. The family was Lords of the manor of Leek, Aldithley, and Balterley in Staffordshire, and of Croxton and Etchells in the county of Cheshire, before and after the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Woolveridge Spelling Variations

Woolveridge Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Woolveridge has appeared include Woolrich, Woolridge, Wolrich, Woolrych, Wolridge, Wooldridge and many more.

Woolveridge Early History

Woolveridge Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Woolveridge research. Another 235 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1633 and 1707 are included under the topic Early Woolveridge History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Woolveridge Early Notables (pre 1700)

Woolveridge Early Notables (pre 1700)

Another 20 words (1 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Woolveridge Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

The Great Migration

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Woolveridge arrived in North America very early: John and Sarah Woolrich, who settled in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630; Joanne Woolrich, who arrived in Virginia in 1635; as did Timothy Woolrich in 1650.

The Woolveridge Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Woolveridge Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.